Internships and Independent Study

Internships 

For juniors and seniors majoring in English, internships are an ideal way to gain valuable work experience. Also, if an internship includes a substantial amount of research and analysis, writing and editing, and communicating with the public, students may be able to earn academic credit.

Students have worked for a wide array of publications, non-governmental organizations, cultural institutions, advocacy groups, literary agents and media producers. Examples range from the Publications Division of the Holocaust Museum to the While You Were Sleeping literary magazine to the communications department of the American Red Cross and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Students may sign up for English 4470 – Internship: Research, Writing, Editing with the approval of the department's supervisor of internships. If eligible, internships involving 15 hours of work per week may earn three credit hours toward a degree. If the position requires more or less time, credits earned vary between one to four. You may enroll in English 4470 for up to nine credits, but only three of them will count toward the major; the additional three or six credits will be electives toward the 120 credits required for a bachelor's degree. English 4470 is graded on a pass/fail basis.

Independent Study

English majors and minors may take ENGL 4360 – Independent Study with the express consent of a faculty sponsor. Generally, independent study is an option for students who want to pursue a topic that lies outside the usual English Department course offerings. However, independent study courses should not be substituted for regular course offerings.

Students are responsible for finding a faculty sponsor and for working with that sponsor to develop a syllabus or list of readings, a list of meeting times and a set of course expectations. Together, the student and faculty member need to submit an Independent Study Form (Word Doc) to the Department Chair, who ultimately approves the course. The Independent Study Form should be submitted by the end of the term immediately preceding the term when ENGL 4360 is to be taken.